"March Winds and April Showers bring forth May Flowers."
Generalisations about the British weather are dangerous, and 2012 was no
exception. Returning from Penang in early March, we were greeted by what was
effectively a heat wave. April's showers were of the continuous variety but
eventually the promised the May flowers were indeed.

As recorded elsewhere, there is nothing like a visit to a garden centre
to prod Yuehong into action and this page compares identical Spring walks
made some 6 weeks apart - separated by what seemed like almost continuous
rain.

Hobb's
Quarry is a local SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) and Nature
Reserve; a good footpath leads off near the crest of the hill opposite the
Baptist Church in Little London. There are views down to Longope and across
to the Forest of Dean to the West. In March the wood anemones were splendid
and just a few bluebells were poking their heads up:

The actual quarry was cut into the ridge of the hill, the limestone
layers are clearly visible and apparently rich in fossils.

Just above the quarry, there is a lane down to Dursley Cross (on the
A40), in March the nights were still cold enough for the horse to need a
coat, behind is May Hill and
the eponymous village is on the right.

At the same time, the small pond at the bottom of the village was
surrounded by bare trees:

By late May, there were leaves on the trees and several bore spectacular
blossom:

Joining the Gloucestershire Way, which has descended from the top of the
hill, we crossed the valley to the woods above Huntley. At this stage
Yuehong had no real idea of what was in store in a few weeks time but the
bluebells have already grabbed their position in the light ahead of the
growth on the trees:

Fast forward 6 weeks and the transformation is absolutely
amazing:

At the time of our first visit, the school was on holiday so
we could admire the church
from the playground without incurring the wrath of the 'child protectors'. The
Magnolia tree next to it was just starting its flowering ahead of the leaves:

While Stagecoach may not be my or the world's favourite bus
company, we would not be able to do this or several other walks in this area
without their regular #24 service which, at the time of writing (June 2012),
appears to have got over its previous reliability problems which saw services
running late and cancelled owing to breakdowns. I ride free with my 'Freedom
Pass' for over 60s and Yuehong buys a return ticket to the further point. In
this case we get off at the top of the hill at Little London and return from
the bus stop by the A4136 turn-off from the A40 in Huntley.

And how about 'Flaming June'? Best not ask, at the time of
writing, it seems as if Britain's two year drought may finally have broken.